The FIM Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) was introduced as a support class to the main Superbike event in 1990, originally as a European Championship before extending its program to follow the global pattern in 1997, and in 2021 will support WorldSBK at every round, with the exception of the British race.

Featuring smaller, lighter and more agile mid-range production sports bikes compared to the litre WorldSBK class, WorldSSP predominantly hosts 600cc machines, like the Yamaha YZF-R6. With only restricted modifications allowed - to items such as cylinder head, gearbox, rear shock, front fork, electronic system and brake discs - and increasingly close racing, the class continues to highlight the ethos of the overall championship, allowing fans to watch exciting racing which utilises machines closely matched to their own pride and joy.

Yamaha has an incredible pedigree in the mid-range class, with foive World Championship victories in the last eight years at the hands of Cal Crutchlow (2009), Chaz Davies (2011), Sam Lowes (2013), Lucas Mahias (2017), Sandro Cortese (2018), Randy Krummenacher (2019) and reigning champion Andrea Locatelli.

The WorldSSP schedule has two timed practice sessions on Friday and one free practice session on Saturday that leads into a single qualifying session. From 2020, two races will now take place, with both showcasing the talents of its various permanent riders and six participating manufacturers across the 12 global locations.